Wanting to be someone else
by LadyJessYU
Summary: Ivy-centered one shot with Henry/Ivy in the mix


You are not as beautiful and capable as Anastasia and you are certainly not as kind and courageous as Cinderella. But the twists of fate have made you the only one standing by the infamous Lady Tremaine. That has changed nothing, though. Again and again you are not clever enough and not tough enough.

Early on, in your little fits of rage, you asked mother if she wished it was you who had died and not Anastasia.

She tutted "You always ask the silliest questions" and her tone made it perfectly clear the answer was yes.

After crying all night, you promise yourself to learn to curve your impulses and direct your anger into something more productive. You will prove to mother that you are the most dutiful daughter there was, that you are capable to perform any task she throws your way.

You poke at Cinderella how the tragedy is all her fault. And an occasional smirk on mother's lips makes it seem almost fun. You secure a connection with a prince and your mother manages to set her plan in motion. Cinderella's father is dead. But when the time comes for Cinderella to pay, she is nowhere to be found, and the prince doesn't want you. So more often than not, mother reminds you that you have failed miserably. She cannot rely on you and even turns to magic for assistance. However, she reminds you fear is more powerful than magic. And she is certainly right because you have never been more ready to be dutiful than when you were trying to conceal the horror on your face while watching mother kill.

It is your turn to prove yourself. 'Do not let me down again' mother's eyes warn as she leaves you to your victim – the man who helped your stepsister, who willingly risked his life for her.

The first thing you notice about the stranger, there in Cinderella's hovel of a room, is his utter naiveté. Someone less cynical might have called him hopeful.

"Whatever she wants you to do to me, you don't have to do it. You seem a lot nicer than she is."

You've been called a lot of things, but never nice. You smile a little smile for his stupidity. "I'm not." You assure him. You put a knife at his throat and there it is. Fear in those soulful eyes of his, "So, where did you hide the slipper?"

Before you can muster enough courage for your next move, two figures storm in through the portal and you are knocked out.

You like to believe that he wasn't trying to buy time, that he truly saw something in you, something that you are not sure is there. And when your mother spits the worst insults at you for the failure, you do not feel all that miserable.

The time passes and you cannot forget him. Every time you see each other, you are, of course, on opposite sides. There is still that glint of hope in him that you will falter and disobey your mother… or maybe that is just another one of your delusional wishes. Why would he hold hope for you when you are trying to ruin his true love, the one who over time becomes the mother of his child? You would never admit it, but you are envious of your stepsister. The realization makes you think how sad and pathetic your life must be.

You wish to be the person you imagine he saw in you. You are not but there is a chance you can be. Not for him or anyone else but for yourself. You learn you are headed for the new world where you can be what you want. But first… first you will have to show mother she had you figured out all wrong.

This new world is much more free and much more mean and petty. Now, you are Ivy and you fit right in. There is Instagram and Twitter and all the things that make you realize you are not the worst. It is all superficial but it helps you ignore the fact that in this world as well you are not relevant to anyone. You are still your mothers lackey and her words still wound you but not for long.

After what feels like eternity Henry shows up, the little spawn drags him to the cursed neighborhood. You had many ideas on how to act around him, yet you stay away. All this is not about him.

It is easy for you to put on a mask of utter indifference. You simply had to be mother's 'mini-me' and hardly acknowledge people around you. They are too irrelevant to spare more than a glance.

That is how you lose Lucy in the swarm of masked children. That brat is smart. When your stepsister dares to snap at you, you want to strangle her. But you do not. You go and look for Lucy because you are not that heartless. And you really cannot deal with mother's disappointment today. Henry of course comes to the rescue because he is Henry and he would do anything for his family even when he doesn't remember that they are one.

Both of you are unsuccessful in your searches and end sitting on a cold bench. You sometimes wish he could remember some things because your frustration over Victoria Belfrey would make so much more sense to him.

"Why do you let her force you into the role you don't want?"

"Because…" you feel like crying because even when you are secretly in charge of your life you are still trapped, "without my mother's approval, I have no one."

Despite everything, he seems to understand. Maybe deep down, he does. "Take a chance. Do the scary thing and hope it all works out." he gives an advice for both of you.

You do something you otherwise maybe wouldn't have. You offer to help him look for Lucy. And his smile warms your heart.

You risk dealing with mother's wrath so they can be a happy family for the night. You do it for him.

You finish couple of things at the office and head home. As you walk back, you quickly realize it might not have been worth it. Mother will be furious, it could set your plan back a few steps. You cannot face her right now. Liquid courage is just the thing you need.

You are confused when you see Henry at Roni's, sitting alone, drinking some cheap excuse for alcohol. You take the best of what's offered, Roni gives you the side eye and you couldn't care less. It's your way of saying 'thank you'. You are not used to it, but it's time you give it a try.

It turns into a habit. Every Friday night you have a drink or couple – a night off from scheming against mother. Roni still thinks you are trouble. You get it, a mother's instinct is overpowering and you know she would tear down worlds for Henry (she already has, as the story goes). Your mother would do that as well, only not for you.

Quickly, your trademark snide jabs develop into mutual light teasing. And teasing him about comic books turns you into a DC fan (he likes Marvel more). Henry is kind and sweet and funny and you talk about everything. It feels natural to open up. After one particularly nasty confrontation with your mother, you feel vulnerable as hell. He calms you down and takes you to local fair. It's childish and cheesy and you sulk for a while before it becomes fun. He buys cotton candy.

"That's so unhealthy. You do know that, don't you?"

"Mhm, but it's so good." he offers again and you will most certainly not indulge him.

"These hands will never touch that." he takes a pinch of it, "Henry… don't you dare."

He practically force feeds you that bite… well, you exaggerate but still. It is so sweet and it melts in your mouth. There goes your cleanse.

He laughs.

"That's not funny and I hate you."

"It's so funny and you don't."

He removes a piece of the sticky cotton candy from your lips and lingers. He might kiss you, you see he wants to and you wanted it for a long time. It's buzzing in your ears, you are burning up and it all terrifies you. This is it, a chance to do the scary thing. You step back, shaking your head. "Yeah, I can't do this." you rush home, ignoring his calls.

Because the curse will eventually be broken, it always breaks and Henry will remember who he is and who you are. He'll remember who he should have been spending his Friday nights with, or every night for that matter. He will remember that he should have taken Jacinda and Lucy to the fair and won a silly, little stuffed animal for them.

Despite what you want, you can't have him hate you that much.

* * *

 **So, it's not detailed and kind of all over the place but this is something I wrote in a day because I just had to. The (im)possibility of this pairing made me again excited for the show (the whole story this season seems better than the last two). Leave a comment, tell me what you think, send me a message if you want to chat about the show.**


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